Thursday, April 19, 2012

The Enfield Horror

The state of Illinois has never been a hotbed of cryptid sightings. Probably the most enduring myth is that of the Thunderbird sightings near Alton, Illinois, but probably the strangest and most frenzied monster sighting occurred in 1973 in Enfield, Illinois. Although mostly forgotten today, for a short time the terrifying monster known as The Enfield Horror had this small community in a state of high horror.The bizarre string of events began on the chilly night of April 25, 1973, when a young boy named Greg Garrett claimed to have been attacked by a truly bizarre beast while playing in his backyard.The child described the being as having no less than three legs, a grayish, slimy epidermis, short claws and reddish eyes. The creature apparently "stamped" on the boys feet with its own three — apparently clawed — foot-like appendages, tearing his tennis shoes to shreds. Greg, crying hysterically, wasted no time scurrying away from the fiend and back into the relative safety of his parent's house.

The Enfield Horror. Later that night the beast returned, scratching at the door of a neighbor to be let in. The man there opened the door, and came face to face with...

The Enfield Horror. Police reports show that the man fired four rounds from a .22, claiming to hit the monster all four times at point blank range, but instead of falling, the beast bounded away into the night, covering 100 yards in five leaps. State Troopers arriving on the scene discovered the scratches the monster had branded into the side of the house. The hysteria was afoot. That summer The Enfield Horror was reported numerous times in Enfield. Despite warnings from The White County Sheriff, posses took to the woods and brush that summer in search of The Enfield Horror, which was spotted only one more time.

By this kid, in 1977. I made that part up, this picture is actually from a reported Poltergeist activity in the UK in 1977, but if the poster of David Soul on the wall could talk I'm sure it would say "Don't give up on us, baby. We can still come through."